Cookbook: The Little Library Cookbook

"Eating and reading are two pleasures that combine admirably."  

---C. S. Lewis

I love to read.

I love to cook.

The Little Library Cookbook: 100 Recipes from Your Favorite Books is a book that seems to have been written just for me. 

The 100 books include many books that are literally (sorry) my favorites, including The Secret Garden (porridge); Anne of Green Gables (vanilla layer cake); Excellent Women (chicken casserole); Moby Dick (clam chowder); Anna Karenina (chicken with tarragon); and Green Eggs and Ham (self-evident). 

I've had this book for three years and I've tried several recipes. 

Today, I've decided to make a recipe from the book our book club will be discussing (virtually) next week, The Book Thief. Of course, since we are in lock-down, I will have to make do with what I have on hand, so some substitutions will be in order.

Potato & Leek Soup with Rye Bread

from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

1 tsp. canola oil (I subbed olive oil)

2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped

1 large leek, finely chopped (I subbed kale)

1 3/4 lbs. waxy potatoes, cut into 3/4" cubes

1 tsp. caraway seeds (I subbed sesame seeds)

2 bay leaves (no sub available)

Salt and pepper

1 3/4 pints vegetable stock

1. To make the soup, warm the oil over medium heat and then fry chopped onions until soft and translucent. Add the diced potatoes, caraway seeds, bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Pour in stock.

2. Simmer soup for twenty minutes before removing bay leaves and attacking it with potato masher. You could also use a blender, but I doubt even the Holtzapfels would have had one, and I like the not-quite smooth texture.

3. Continue to simmer until it reaches a texture you want (it will thicken as the water evaporates. Serve with bread.

Rye Bread

Makes 1 large loaf

4 cups rye flour (I subbed reg. bread flour)

3 cups white bread flour

1 tsp. salt

1 heaping T. fresh yeast

2 3/4 cups plus 2 T. lukewarm water

1 T. caraway seeds (I subbed toasted sesame seeds)

1. Pour the flours and salt into a mixing bowl and combine with your hand. Put the fresh yeast in a measuring cup and pour in the water. Mix with a fork. Leave the yeast until it is foaming slightly on top.

2. Pour the yeast into the flour mixture and combine with your hands. Add the caraway seeds, then knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Try not to add any more flour to the dough while you are kneading, but if it is unmanageably sticky, lightly flour your work surface and hands and then continue to knead. Return the dough to the mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel, and leave in a warm, draft-free place to rise until it has doubled in size.

3. After an hour or so, take the dough back out and flatten it. Reshape into a round loaf by stretching each edge out and then folding it back into the middle. Flip the loaf over so that the seam is underneath. Keep pulling the sides underneath the loaf with your palms to form a tight ball. Place the loaf on a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle liberally with flour and place the tea towel back on top. Leave to proof until doubled in size. When the bread has risen most of the way, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

4. When the dough is ready, transfer the tray to the oven. After 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 400 degrees F. and bake for another 35 minutes. The loaf should be brown on top and should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

                                                

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